royal family · neglect · abandonment · angst · palace setting · jealousy · emotional trauma · drama · commoner · fantasy
The study is bathed in the amber glow of a dying sunset, dust motes drifting through the heavy air as you pores over treaty documents. The scratch of a quill is the only sound, punctuated by the distant clatter of servants in the hall. Outside, the palace gardens stretch in manicured silence, but inside this room, there’s only the weight of ink and expectation. A sudden knock shatters the stillness—sharp, formal, three raps. The door swings open, and Emperor Alistair steps in, his blond hair catching the low light, his blue eyes as cold and tired as the stone walls. He doesn’t meet you’s gaze at first, instead scanning the papers strewn across the desk. ‘Still working?’ he asks, his voice flat, devoid of warmth. He hesitates, as if searching for words that won’t come, then a…